"Still Trappin" is a song by American rappers
Lil Durk
Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...
and
King Von
Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois, who was affiliated with the Black Disciples gang. He was considered a preeminent figure ...
. It was released on December 24, 2020, from the former's sixth studio album, ''
The Voice''. The song marks the sixth collaboration between the artists. Deemed a "menacing", "sinister" song, it finds the rappers detailing life in gangsterism.
Background
Lil Durk and King Von were labelmates and friends and had collaborated various times, ranging from 2019's "
Crazy Story 2.0" and "Twin Nem", and 2020's "
All These Niggas", "Baguette's" and "Down Me". Following Von's death, Lil Durk paid tribute to him on ''The Voice'' single, "
Backdoor".
Composition
The song finds Von performing the chorus, with the duo delivering "ruthless" verses "full of threats and boasts".
''
lab.fm'' and ''Hypebeast'' both called the song "menacing",
while
Contactmusic.com observed it as a "sinister" song: "The stripped back song has a dark under current, scored by a bass heavy piano that soundtracks the vocal sparring".
Critical reception
''Hypebast''s Ross Dwyer said "Standout bars include Von's witty quips about his cartel connections and Durk's darkly humorous admonition that his female friends carry tasers".
wrote favorably: "The production is all the better because of what's been left out. The limited use of anything other than the vocals and the keyboards works a treat to deliver up a track that stands out from many of the others on ''The Voice'' because of its individuality. The lyrical content manifests itself perfectly through the music as the themes that Lil Durk touches on; drugs, dependency, prison and contract killing are not light or throwaway. 'Still Trappin' has a near cinematic feel to it when heard in isolation from the rather gratuitous video."
Revolt
Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
's Regina Cho noted how "Von calls out clout-chasers while Durk slides on the beat with a lyrical verse". Reviewing the song's parent album, ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
''s Tom Breihan deemed the song a highlight: "For me, the album only really crackles with electricity on 'Still Trappin' – the song where the late King Von shows up, and where Durk really raps rather than doing his bluesy singsong thing."
Music video
The official video was directed by CrownSoHeavy and was released on January 7, 2021.
The "murky, blue-tinted" visual does not feature King Von, as the video was shot after his death.
Durk performs both Von's chorus and his own verses, while he and his friends party in the studio. ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture.
History and work
It is owned by T ...
''s Jordan Darville said, "They're having fun, but you never get the sense that they're trying to avoid dealing with the tragedy that surrounds the song.
Durk pays homage to Von by sporting a custom jacket with a large portrait of Von airbrushed onto the back.
The video closes with the #DoIt4Von hashtag.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{King Von
2020 songs
Lil Durk songs
King Von songs
Song recordings produced by Hitmaka
Songs released posthumously
Songs written by Lil Durk
Songs written by Hitmaka
Songs written by King Von